H2020. Towards the next EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation: European Innovation Council (EIC) Pilot: EIC Horizon Prize for 'Affordable High-Tech for Humanitarian Aid' | CDE Almería - Centro de Documentación Europea

The challenge consists of developing innovative solutions for the delivery of humanitarian aid based on frugal application of advanced technologies.

Specific Challenge

The European Union and its Member States are major humanitarian donors. Humanitarian crises and disasters have increased in number, complexity and severity over the last 25 years. Given the scale of today’s crises and disasters, funding to cover humanitarian needs cannot keep up. The humanitarian system is being challenged to do more, for more people, and at greater cost. Cooperation between international organisations and NGOs responding to crises, end-users and local actors, research and scientific communities and the private sector is crucial in this respect. Introducing innovative solutions for the delivery of humanitarian aid could help enhance the humanitarian response, which is particularly important for those in a most vulnerable situation.

Solutions should:

Be developed through a frugal innovation approach, and should be novel and based on advanced technologies and services, demonstrating the added value and potential of one or more advanced technologies (not only limited to ICT).
Tested and proven in humanitarian aid delivery.
Be safe, scalable, resource-sustainable, replicable and usable in other contexts.
Be inclusive, i.e. co-created and developed by different stakeholders with local actors, and accessible to a large number of people in a given context of humanitarian aid delivery settings.

The indicative budget for this prize is €5 million from the 2020 budget. This is expected to be allocated in five awards of €1 million, each in a different area such as shelter, water and sanitation, energy, heating or cooling, food, hygiene and medical care.

Expected Impact

More cost-effective, more sustainable and higher-quality innovative solutions, leading to an optimised use of humanitarian funding and an enhanced response to urgent needs in a humanitarian aid settings, notably for those in a most vulnerable situation, in areas such as shelter, water and sanitation, energy, heating or cooling, food, hygiene and medical care.